4 thoughts on “Covid-19 Resilience: Part 2”

  1. Nancy

    John says the COVID virus does discriminate and it seems you both are saying that healthy folks won’t get seriously ill. But I’ve heard about and read about many people of all ages, many who had very healthy lifestyles, who have gotten very sick and even died. Long-term lung and kidney damage, unusual blood clots, people who seemed healthy or seemed to recover suddenly take a turn for the worse. Have you heard that the #s from Sweden are escalating? I just don’t think your episode accurately reflected the current situation.
    Chris Kresser suggested people should not take high amounts of Vitamin D, ok to take 2000 iu I think.

    Reply
    • MARK C PETTUS

      Thanks for your feedback Nancy. The statistics for covid-19 are very incomplete as testing in the US has been limited to those who are symptomatic. The number of asymptomatic positives may be quite high from early reports as testing broadens in our communities. This has significant implication on what is currently being reported. The issue from my perspective is not the potential dangers of covid-19 which are very real and very significant, the issue is whether the response and the public health-economic implications of the response are potentially worse than the pandemic itself. If you research for example H1N1 influenza from 2018 you see a far greater impact than what we have seen with covid-19. We see this this with influenza every winter and we know it targets those more vulnerable populations as covid-19 has. I am not questioning the potential dangers of covid-19. I am questioning why the response has been so different; a response that will have profound “epigenetic” influences on health in the years to come, long after this pandemic resolves. The fear-induction feels much greater globally for this than for the 2018 H1N1 pandemic and I can’t help but ask the question why? The allostatic burden from the current response and profound fear is worrisome to me. Loss of income, social connection, fear of being outside, food insecurity, and perpetual fight-flight are accentuated in the current state.

      As for vitamin D, there just isn’t much research on covid-19. I think less about dosage and tend to work of blood levels. For those with levels < 20 ng/dl, adequate sunshine and supplementation to a level 30+ is just reasonable based on pre-existing evidence.

      The average age of death in Sweden is 81. As of last week they have had 19 deaths per 100k people (you have to compare rates per 100k as # deaths or infections alone is incomplete). This is far less that what one has seen in other European countries. Time will tell for sure in the months ahead how effective these strategies have been.

      Thanks so much for listening in!
      Stay well!

      Mark Pettus

      Reply
    • Mark Pettus

      Thanks for your feedback Nancy. The statistics for covid-19 are very incomplete as testing in the US has been limited to those who are symptomatic. The number of asymptomatic positives may be quite high from early reports as testing broadens in our communities. This has significant implication on what is currently being reported. The issue from my perspective is not the potential dangers of covid-19 which are very real and very significant, the issue is whether the response and the public health-economic implications of the response are potentially worse than the pandemic itself. If you research for example H1N1 influenza from 2018 you see a far greater impact than what we have seen with covid-19. We see this this with influenza every winter and we know it targets those more vulnerable populations as covid-19 has. I am not questioning the potential dangers of covid-19. I am questioning why the response has been so different; a response that will have profound “epigenetic” influences on health in the years to come, long after this pandemic resolves. The fear-induction feels much greater globally for this than for the 2018 H1N1 pandemic and I can’t help but ask the question why? The allostatic burden from the current response and profound fear is worrisome to me. Loss of income, social connection, fear of being outside, food insecurity, and perpetual fight-flight are accentuated in the current state.

      As for vitamin D, there just isn’t much research on covid-19. I think less about dosage and tend to work of blood levels. For those with levels < 20 ng/dl, adequate sunshine and supplementation to a level 30+ is just reasonable based on pre-existing evidence. The concerns raised are conceptual based on vitamin d and it's interactions with the "ACE2 receptors". Recently published research in individuals with covid-19 infection also on blood pressure meds that interfere with the same receptor (ACE Inhibitors and ARBs) have failed to show an adverse link. There has also been a lower prevalence of covid as one gets closer to the equator. these individuals tend to have higher vitamin d levels. The average age of death in Sweden is 81. As of last week they have had 19 deaths per 100k people (you have to compare rates per 100k as # deaths or infections alone is incomplete). This is far less that what one has seen in other European countries. Time will tell for sure in the months ahead how effective these strategies have been. Thanks so much for listening in! Stay well! Mark Pettus

      Reply

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